Howdy, Apexians. Sorry for the lull at the start of this week. As some of you know, my priority lately has been to spend quality time with my cousin as he enters the final stages of his battle with cancer. Collecting fun links about money seems foolish when I could be hanging out with him instead.
That said, here I am with a free Wednesday and no obligations. Sounds like a perfect time to catch up on some reading…and to share the best of that reading with you folks. Let’s dive in…
The responsibility of hope. [Emily Guy Birken] — “We may have a lot of reasons to feel hopeless, and far be it from me to keep anyone from making dark jokes when they feel powerless. But we are not powerless. We can always hope. It’s not juvenile or naïve to hope. It’s the responsible thing to do, because it is the only way we can effect any change.”
The case for (always) staying invested. [J.P. Morgan Wealth Management via reader Michael Laurence] — “Diversification, time in the market and a steady head can help investors achieve their long-term financial goals by avoiding the pitfalls of emotionally driven, badly timed mistakes. When times get tough in markets and make you feel nervous, remember the lessons from tried-and-true investing principles.”
A world shaped by supply. [PDF report from Blackrock] — “Limits on supply have driven the surge in inflation over the past year: a profound change from the decades-long dominance of demand drivers. This fundamentally changes how we should think about the macro environment and the market implications. The key to understanding the muted response of central banks to inflation is not the timeframe but its cause: supply. Much of the 2021 debate overlooked this.” This is a long and heady paper, but it’s very much worth reading.
To wrap things up today, here’s a nerdy but fun 12-minute video that attempts to answer the question: Where does the tone come from in an electric guitar?
Okay, that’s it for today. Because I know I’m headed up to Portland tomorrow to spend more time with my cousin, I’ll take some time this afternoon to draft two more Apex installments for you. That means you can look forward to more tomorrow. See you then!